Fotjeth to f



(No Model.)

' C. S. HURD.

y HITCHING POST. No. 364,175. Patented May 31, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

CHARLES S. IIURD, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ON Ff FOURTH TO F. F, SNEATHEN, OF SAME PLACE,

HlTCHlNG-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.364,175I dated May 3l, 1887.

Application filed December il, 1886. Serial No. 221,243. (No model.)

ro ject being to form a bitching-post which can be lowered into the ground and covered, so that it forms no obstruction in the street, and which can, when it is desired to use the same, be raised out of the ground and firmly secured in position for use. In my improved hitching-post I form an .inclosing case or receptacle and arrange the post to slide therein, the box being placed within the ground and provided with a suitable cover, so that whenV the post is lowered within the case it may be closed, and the post will form no obstruction within the street. In order to secure the post rmly in position when raised, I provide suitable locking mechanism to support the post in its raised position; and for greater safety, so that the post cannot be lowered either by the movements of the horse hitched thereto or by persons other than the owner, I provide means for securely locking the post in position, so that after it is raised and locked it can only be lowered by those understanding the manner of operating the lock. I also improve thepost in other particulars, as hereinafter specifically set forth. l

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a sectional view of my improved post, showing the same lowered within its c ase or receptacle. Fig. 2 is a like view showlng the post in position for use. Fig. 3 is a per spective view of the locking-sleeve, with which the post engages when raised. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are top views of said sleeve, showing the post in section and illustrating the means of locking and unlocking the same; andFig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the means of unlocking the sameB Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

The case or receptacle a is generally formed of the enlarged portiomor box b and the tubular extension c, this receptacle being placed within the ground so that the upper end of the box b is flush with the street or curb, the boX having the lid b', by means of which it is closed when not in use, and thev tubular eX- tension c being made of suitable length, so that it shall receive the sliding hitching-post d, which can be be lowered into the case, the main portion of the post sliding within the tubular extension c, and the post being inclosed within the case, so that it is protected from moisture. The bitching-post d is generally formed of a tube of slightly-smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of the tube c, the body of the tube el sliding within the tube c, which has at the base thereof the cushion e, onto which the bitching-post drops as it is lowered, this cushion being generally formed of a rubberball at the vbase of the tube c, resting against the ferrule or cap c' of the tubular extension.

At the base of the enlarged portion or box I) is secured the locking-sleevef, this lockingsleeve being screwed onto the tube c, which, also, is provided with the collar c2, fitting against the bottom of the box b, the locking thus acting to secure the tube c to the box, as shown. rlhe locking sleeve f is provided with the ratchet-faces g g g2, and with the pocket 7b beyond the ratchet-face g, the spring lug or pintle z', near the base of the hitching-post, engaging with these ratchet-faces and fitting into the pocket h, and so supporting the tube iu its raised position out of the boX and holding it in said position until it is lowered, as hereinafter described. The upper portion of this sleeve f fits neatly around the hitching-post d, and, together with the cap or ferrule d at the base of the post, forms a guide for the post as it slides within the tubular extension Z).

The spring-pintle i is provided with a lip, i', at the upper end thereof, and the spring k, carrying the pintle, is secured by aboltor rivet, 7.a', passing through an elongated bolt-hole, d2, in the post d, to the slidingplate 7c?, which extends upwardly within the sleeve f in position to strike against the annular shoulder f thereof, so that when the pintle rests upon and engages with the sleeve the weight of the post thereon bears upon the body of the pintle. The pintle and its spring and sliding plate Vslide longitudinally of the post, so that the lip Zof the pintle is forced above the pintlehole (Z3 and locks the pintle in that position, so that it cannot be pressed within the hitchingpost, this being shown in Fig. 2; but when the post is raised, so that the sliding plate k2 comes in contact with the shoulder f of the sleeve f, it is pressed down by said shoulder, so drawi-ng down with it the lip i of the pintle i into position to be pressed into the pintle-hole (Z3. The sleeve f is provided with the extension Z, having the inclined face Z', extending from the outer edge of the sleeve to the inner edge thereof at the base of the ratchet g2, this inclined face Z acting to press the pintle back into the bitching-post as the post is turned, and so disengage the pintle from the sleeve and permit the post to slide downwardly within the case.

In drawing up the post it is lifted by hand until the pintle is raised above the face of one ratchet, when it springs out and catches on the ratchet-as, for instance, on the ratchet-face gZ--and in order to lock it securely it is turned so as to pass over the ratchet-faces g and g and rest within the pocket or lockingseat h, the post being thus locked threetimes in passing over these ratchet-faces, so that it cannot be disengaged from its position either by any strainV put upon it by the horse hitched thereto or by any person who does not know how to operate it. In lowering the post it is necessary to raise it first out of the scat h, when it will slide down the ratchet g, and is raised again to pass over both the ratchets g' and g2, and even then it cannot be lowered until it is raised sufficiently to cause the outer sleeve, 7a2, tostrike against .the inclined shoulder f of the sleevef, which pushes down the slide k2, and draws with it the pintle t' until the pintle strikes the base of the pintle-hole d, when, as the post is turned,theinclined face Z will push the pintle back into the post, so that the post can be lowered, the post being thus locked in its position not only by the three differentratchet-faces on the sleeve, but by the lip z", which prevents its being pressed back into the post until it is drawn down by thesliding plate k2, as above described, and as the post is thus securely locked in place there is no liability whatever of its being disturbed either by the horse or by those not knowing how to operate it.

rlhe post is provided with the chain in, having the weight n at the base thereof, this chain and weightitting within the tubular post and the weight holding the chain within the post, so that the chain is always held taut when it is hitched to the bridle of the horse, and is also held within the post when not in use, as shown in Fig. l. The chain passes through the cap 1J at the upper end ofthe post, and as it is drawn out the links of the chain will catch on this cap, and so relieve the horse from the major part ofthe weight of the chain.

In order to prevent the entrance of dirt to the lower part of the pocket b and the clogging of the locking-sleevef, Iemploythe plate r, through which the hitching-post cZ passes, the plate fitting closely around the post and catching any dirt or other material which might fall within the box of the post.

lVhen the post is to be raised, the cover Z/ is thrown back and the post is drawn up until the pintle Z springs over the ratchet-face of the sleeve, and is then turned until it rests within they pocket or seat h, and, as the weight of the post is supported on the pintle, it is evident that the slide holding the pintle is forced upwardly, so that the lip i on the pintle prevents its passing back through the pintle-hole d3, and when the post is to be lowered it is raised and turned back until it passes the several ratchetfaces, and then, by raising it slightly higher, the` sliding plate 7a2 strikes against the sleeve, draws down the pintle, and by turning it still further the pintle is pressed back into the post by the inclined face Z, and the post may be permitted to drop, the base of the post striking against the cushion c, so as to prevent the jarring of the post. The box of the post is then closed, so as to present the appearance of any block orpost close to the street.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a sliding hitchingpost with an inclosing-case provided with a series of locking-seats and the means, substantially as described, carried by the post for engaging said seats successively, whereby the post has to be unlocked a number of times before it can be lowered, substantially as described.

2. The combination ofthe sliding hitchingpost having the spring-pintle with a lip thereon, which engages the outer side of the post, and the inclosing-case provided with the locking-seat, with which the pintle engages to hold the post in its raised position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the inclosing-case provided with the locking-sleeve f, having one or more ratchet-faces and a locking-seat, ZZ, and the sliding hitchingpost having the spring-pintle z', substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination of the sliding hitchingpost having the spring-pintle and the inclos ing-case having the locking-sleeve provided with a suitable seat, and having the inclined face above said seat, adapted to press the spring-pintle into the sliding` post, so that the same may be lowered, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the inclosingcase having the locking-sleeve provided with an inclined face, and the sliding post provided with a spring-pintle having the lip 'and means for moving the pintle longitudinally of the post, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination of the sliding post havA IOC IIO

VI zo In testimonyn whereof I, the said CHARLES S. HURD, have hereunto set my hand'.

CHARLES s. HURD. 

